So ... it was my birthday yesterday and among many delightful presents (including - oh joy - The Barchester Chronicles, starring a young Alan Rickman, on DVD), I was given two second-hand volumes of Barbara Pym - Excellent Women and A Glass of Blessings. Now, it pains me to admit that I know little more about Pym than her name, and the fact that a friend once mentioned in passing that she was her grandmother's favourite author. This post, therefore, is by way of a brief but heartfelt plea to all Pym-ophiles out there: please enlighten me. Is she good? Who are her closest relatives, literature-wise? Which book should I read first? Any and all information welcome ...